ABSTRACT
In 2011, a man named Rick Genest, known as Zombie Boy, shot to mainstream popularity. That year, he modeled for fashion designer Thierry Mugler’s Fall campaign, was photographed by celebrity photographer Terry Richardson, was featured in an advertising campaign for a theatrical cover up makeup called Dermablend, played a cameo in the Keanu Reaves film 47 Ronin, and was featured in the video for Lady Gaga’s song “Born This Way.” What makes Genest’s new fame so noteworthy is the fact that Genest is one of the world’s most tattooed – and most unusually tattooed – men. His tattoos, which cover 80 percent of his body, were created to represent a decaying body. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Genest has more insects (178) and bones (138) tattooed on his body than anyone else. The result is a tattooed manifestation of “Zombie Boy.”
